


Unforgivable

by morningrain



Series: Growing pains [2]
Category: Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: F/M, I love these two smart idiots so much, i hope i did them justice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-05
Updated: 2019-10-05
Packaged: 2020-11-24 01:30:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20899424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morningrain/pseuds/morningrain
Summary: Set after 3.02.Anne and Gilbert have a much needed conversation about rudeness in public transport and stolen things.





	Unforgivable

**Author's Note:**

> I believe this work is self-sufficient without the first part of the "Growing pains" series, but let's just say it's a little more flavourful if read after the first part. 
> 
> Don't season your food with only salt, you guys.

Anne loved Green Gables. She loved how the morning sun invaded her room through her window in shades of red, orange and golden, casting the shadows of her favourite tree on the walls behind her bed. She loved Matthew’s barn, in which he skilfully brought to life the scope of his imagination. She loved Marilla’s kitchen, where she turned her affection into the delicious food that sustained her family. Even in her wildest dreams – and admittedly, they were indeed extremely wild - she couldn’t imagine a more beautiful place in the world than Green Gables. 

And yet, a few days grounded was enough to hassle Anne to the point of wishing she was indeed face down on a ditch. Not only was she bored out of her mind for not being able to take long walks though the woods that surrounded her home, the strained state of her relationship with Marilla meant whichever room her guardian occupied was off-limits until the air between the two was thoroughly cleared. And by that, she meant, until _ Marilla_ finally apologised.

At this moment, Marilla was working in the kitchen and, since Anne had finished her chores of the day, she decided to sit on the fence the furthest from the house to see if she could at least smell the outside of the property or see something more interesting than Jerry shuffling hay for the millionth time. 

Just as she was settling down on the fence, the sound of gallops reached her ears. She welcomed the mailman, excited for the distraction, and was surprised to find out that the letter was written by Cole to her. 

Seeing “Miss Anne Shirley-Cuthbert” written on an envelope still gave her a thrill. And as much as she was anxious to hastily tear the envelope and read the contents of letter, she resolved to return to her room where she could do so with a greater level of privacy. 

*******

Marilla enjoyed, very much, her visits to the Blythe-Lacroix farm to aid Mary in her care of baby Delphine. Most times, she would go alone, walking quietly the path she had known by heart for many years. However today, with the need to carry the clothes she had offered to repair for the new mom and to get rid of the many muffins she had stress-baked after lunch, she more than required help. Which is why, despite a strong reluctance, she decided to go upstairs and ask for Anne’s help.

*******

Marilla suspected Anne would stay quiet on the way to their friend’s house, considering they weren’t in proper speaking terms as of lately – just screaming terms, occasionally. She was proved right, by Anne’s actions, but the girl’s silence was more contemplative than cold. 

Anne was still processing the contents of the letter and this errand couldn’t be more ill-timed, even if she couldn’t wait to see something beyond her house and school, for a change.

Cole’s letter didn’t have any great news, considering they had just seen each other last week and, thankfully, things seemed to be going peacefully in Aunt Jo’s house. 

She could read the worry that leaked through his words, regarding the aftermath of the events in the asylum, but he was subtle enough to give her a way out of responding, if she chose to do so. She thanked him mentally for his kindness.

The most disturbing part of the letter regarded Gilbert. Cole told her about how the two had met in Charlottetown the past Saturday and, apologetically, mentioned he had revealed to Gilbert a few details about her quest. She wasn’t bothered immensely by this, as she supposed Gilbert would find out eventually, though she would have preferred to tell him herself. However, the boy mentioned how worried he was about Gilbert and Anne’s friendship. 

She still hadn’t properly talked to Gilbert since her harshness on the train, though they had met in school several times since then. Anne had tried not to overthink it, but she could feel Gilbert was being slightly colder to her than usual and quieter during the meetings of the Avonlea Gazette. 

Still lost in thoughts, Anne was surprised when Marilla came to a halt and she just barely managed to stop herself from walking head first into the door. The older woman knocked.

Gilbert was the one to open the door and usher them into the warmness of the house. He was kind to Marilla, as always, asking about her health and general wellbeing, but only greeted Anne. Then, he called Mary to let her know about their arrival and, grabbing a muffin from one of the baskets, quickly excused himself.

Before he left, Anne interrupted his exit. “Gilbert, can I talk to you?”

“Anne, I really should go back to studying. I’m a little behind on Biology,” he answered, though no apology reached his eyes.

“It won’t take long… It’s important,” the girl insisted.

“You two can talk in Gilbert’s room since it’s too cold outside. But leave the door open.” Mary intervened. 

Unable to refuse this conversation and risk being rude in front of the two older women, he quietly agreed and started to walk towards his room.

*******

Anne had never been to Gilbert’s room, but it was somehow exactly the way she would have imagined it to be, had she stopped to think about it. Everything was very clean and organized, except for a few open books spread on a small desk near the window. He pulled a chair for her, from the desk, and sat on the bed, grabbing a book and opening it on his lap. She could see she had to be the one to start this. 

“I would like to say I’m sorry for how I treated you on the train, that day,” she said.

“It’s fine. No need to worry about it,” he replied, still looking down at his book.

“It’s not fine! I was rude and ungrateful. You were doing me a favour by taking me in the train and I let my stress with the situation get a hold of me. Cole wrote to me about how he told you about my deep, personal quest and, you see, I was very nervous.” Anne explained.

“You don’t have to explain anything to me,” he added. 

“And Marilla was being extremely condescending, which made me quite embarrassed”, she continued. 

“All’s good,” he said.

“Gilbert!” she shrilled in frustration “I’m just trying to apologise to you! I just want us to be friends again!”

“But are we friends, Anne!?” he exploded, standing up. “Friends talk to each other, confide in each other! Diana and Cole are your friends. You and I are just on a truce.”

“That’s ridiculous! Of course you are my friend!” Anne argued, too energetic to stay sitted. “I was going to tell you on the train about my quest if you hadn’t been so cold to me the whole ride!” 

“Well, I had to be silent if I didn’t want to risk being again a victim of your bad temper!”, he raged. 

Anne, who had responded on the same level of intensity as Gilbert, secretly enjoying that in arguing he had for a second left behind his indifference, stopped on her tracks, as memories of those words on a black board filled her mind. 

_Ann Shirley has a very bad temper. _

Gilbert seemed to remember the same thing, his face going from anger to surprise. His breath, still rampant, shook his body.

“I didn’t mean that, Anne”, he apologized. “I’m just so—I don’t even know”

Despite his plea, Anne’s face still conveyed shock, as If she had just been slapped. Gilbert sat again on the bed. 

“I lost all of my dad’s precious things. His war medal, his favourite knife. Even his stupid top hat. They are all gone, Anne. I have nothing left of him now.” He sighed, his voice conveying a sadness Anne hadn’t heard from him in a while.

“Oh, Gilbert,” she said, returning to seat on the chair. “What happened?”

“Mary’s son, Elijah. He was going to move here and help Bash and I with the farm.” He took a breath. “But he’s a troubled person and after he and Mary got in a fight, he just left with all those things. I don’t know if he sold them for profit or just destroyed them in a bout of rage… He trashed my dad’s room completely.”

“I’m really sorry, Gilbert,” Anne consoled. “If he has destroyed them, there’s not much we can do, but if they are still out there, we will find them. I promise. We can even make it into a quest.”

“Thank you, Anne.” He gave her a small smile. He was always amazed at how she managed to turn even the dimmest of situations into an opportunity for adventure. “I do hope you can find something about your parents. Anything. I know now how these things, no matter how small, matter in our connection with the ones we love.”

She returned the smile.

“And I’m really sorry for saying you have a bad temper. You have the largest heart I know, Anne Shirley-Cuthbert. It just feels sometimes like there’s no room in it for me.Gilbert admitted. “But I shouldn’t demand or feel entitled to your friendship.”

Anne knew she and Gilbert had come a long way since their early hair-pulling-slate-striking days and was confident enough to believe Gilbert did think about her positively. She relied on their companionship and friendly competition, however, up until this point she had never really considered – and was extremely surprised at - how much he… cared.

“I want to show you something, at Green Gables,” she decided. “Can you accompany me?”

“What? Now?” he said, perplexed.

“Yes! Follow me! We’ll tell Marilla you need to borrow a book.”, she left the room. And he, never really having a choice in the matter, followed her.

*******

Gilbert had visited Green Gables a few times, but it was his first time above the first floor.

“Gilbert Blythe, meet the Snow Queen!” Anne said, formally, by her bedroom window. “This is my favourite tree in the world.”

“You brought me to your house to introduce me to a tree?” Gilbert asked, a smirk forming in his face in both amusement and incredulity. 

“No, but I thought introductions were in order” Anne could tell he had no malice in his teasing. “I came to show you this!”

She took a medium-sized brown box from under her bed and placed it on the floor, near the window. She sat down on the floor and invited him to do the same. 

“What is this, Anne?” questioned Gilbert.

“When I first came to Green Gables, I really didn’t have many worldly possessions. Everything could fit, with a lot of room, in a small bag.” Anne explained. “But this past three years, I have been very lucky and now I have quite a few special things. This is the box in which I put them. I call it my Treasure Chest.”

Gilbert looked at her attentively, as she opened the box taking items out one by one. 

“This is a drawing Cole made of me, when we first became friends.” Anne said, showing him the paper proudly. Only Cole could make her despise her freckles a little less.

“Wow, it’s really good”, Gilbert examined the drawing carefully.

She then showed him a small card. 

“This is a Christmas card Jerry gave me a few years ago. I was teaching him how to read and he really surprised me by writing it himself,” she commented fondly. 

She searched the box for a few seconds, before finding an envelope. 

“And this,“ she showed him “This is the letter you wrote me while you were working in the steamer.”

He held the envelope, astonished. “You kept this?”

“I did. Not because it was the first letter I ever received, sent from a place as intriguing as Trinidad!” she squealed. “Or because you misspelled in it the word ‘indefinitely’,“ she teased. “But because you are the one who sent it. You belong in my box, Gilbert Blythe. And in my heart.” Anne concluded. 

Though Gilbert had no talent manipulating words the way Anne did, never before had he felt so speechless. 

“I haven’t showed this box to anyone. Not even Cole or Diana.” She continued. “We are not only rivals in the spelling bee. Though we can always spell out a few words for old time’s sake.”

He offered his hand.

“How about… friends?”, he suggested.

“I have a better one. K-I-N-D-R-E-D”, Anne started, taking his hand. A small smirk formed on her lips, showing her dimples. 

“S-P-I-R-I-T-S”, Gilbert finished, not taking his eyes off of her.

**Author's Note:**

> Writing is hard, y'all.
> 
> I tried my best to make this as in character as possible...
> 
> Maybe these - very smart - idiots wouldn't really be so open in a conversation, but a girl can dream. 
> 
> Hope you all enjoy :)


End file.
